Shocking news from the Netherlands where the partial owner of the huge Schnellbootbunker in IJmuiden has plans to demolish its part of the bunker. If they continue their plans the bunker will be unreversibly demolished.

The bunker in the harbour area of the Dutch coastal town always had private owners and the bunker was never a protected heritage site. People and heritage organisations woke up after the news and started initiatives to save the bunker from demolishing. The Dutch National Cultural Heritage Agency started talks with the owner and municipality, and other smaller heritage institutions also opposed to the plans. An online petition has been signed by 1.100 times since this morning.

Chances are slim the demolishing of six concrete docks will stop. But hopefully any future destruction plans are reviewed. Although the Atlantikwall has seen significant popular interest in the last ten years with sites protected and bunkers acknowledged as important military heritage, danger of destruction is still looming.

Only several years ago an important headquarters complex in Rockanje was partly destroyed when the command bunker with armoured observation turret and an ammunition bunker were demolished to make room for horse stables. There’s a common misconception with local municipalities that every bunker is the same and they are isolated buildings with no interconnection. By demolishing one bunker the context of the military landscape is severely damaged, and by partly demolishing the Schnellbootbunker at IJmuiden (during the 80th remembrance year of the Second World War liberation), an important story about this coastal town will disappear.